Silver fueled the rise of the Roman Empire. But the ancient process of mining and extracting silver was also making the air thick with lead, scientists found.

People living during the golden age of the Roman Empire experienced an average 2.5 to 3 point reduction in IQ due to atmospheric lead, according to a study published January 6 in the journal ...

Atmospheric lead pollution likely caused cognitive decline among citizens of the Roman Empire, according to research published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lead poisoning may have played a role in the death of fraternal twin babies from 2,000 ... Previous studies have documented the key role played by lead poisoning in the fall of the Roman Empire.

Although the team obviously can’t tie zircon minerals to the Roman Empire’s collapse, their lengthy migration inside frozen chunks of glacier further underscore the 6th century ice age’s ...